Social Referrals Result in a 65% Bounce Rate After First Page

When we talk about measuring social media engagement, people usually refer to comments, likes and shares. However, the amount of time spent on a particular page or post is a relevant metric. According to social bookmarking and analytics company AddThis, scrolling could also provide relevant insight into consumer engagement.

The report indicates that iOS users are nearly 20 percent more likely to scroll through multi-page content than Windows users. AddThis attributed this finding to the inherent conditioning of the iOS interface, in which users become accustomed to scrolling in general.

Multi-page viewing and scrolling are also 20 percent more likely to occur during regular business hours. Consumers are 55 percent more likely to scroll through multiple pages of content on Tuesdays and Wednesdays than they are on weekends.

Social referrals result in a 65 percent bounce rate after viewing one page. This indicates that medium- to long-form content might not be well-suited for social marketing, according to the report. However, readers who scroll through longer-form content are 45 percent more likely to share on Facebook and 20 percent less likely to share on Twitter.

The type of content also matters. For example, readers are more likely to consume and scroll through style content than they are entertainment content while at work. The report attributes this behavior to the style content being designed for quick and easy consumption — no scrolling necessary. People are also inclined to follow sports and entertainment content producers, but more likely to engage with business and financial content.